Best glass you've seen on a large building

[SkyscrapersOfNewYork]

Originally Posted by Aleks

i was comparing it to other buildings in this thread. i said it looks better than many buildings around it.

i just hope all the new wtc buildings have better glass. i'm not hoping for bitexco/guangzhou ttw quality, but i hope it looks less distorted than 7wtc's.

o srry i thought you were saying it just had bad glass over all and the mock ups for towers 4 and 1 actually looks alot better then all of the glass ive seen on any building even the ones in this thread.

images from google

Freedom Tower


WTC 4






gorgeous no warping, best glass ive ever seen

[Dac150]

Many I think are already shown, but I’ll put more emphasis on 7 WTC. The glass is just gorgeous.

[Ordo_]

Apparently "No Distortions" is a difficult criteria for people to get. The Shard and the 2 former Enron buildings in Houston that actually meet the original poster's criteria. I mean, you're posting pictures...if there is a distortion in the picture...its distortive! 7WTC is a beautiful facade, but the glass is distortive, and certainly anyone who has ever seen Guangzhou tower west or Time Warner center can't argue that the glass isn't distortive. Proof is in the pudding people.

The Shard gets my vote. Not only is the glass flawless, but the facade is flawless as well.

[dleung]

^^ exactly. Thanks.

[whiteford]

i have no picture; however, like its brethren in New York, Foster and partners has designed cladding for a new and still under construction office tower. The Bow, Encana's new and spectacular home! everything about the cladding and glass on this baby is top notch. I am hoping that one of Calgary's many outstanding photo artists can supply us with photo's. # (1) I do not completely know what i am doing regarding posting photo's.#2 The for-mentioned talented photographers really good at.

[Trantor]

what exactly is the problem with distorted glass? The only problem I see is that its difficult to get distortions right (and specially one different distortion at each glass pane) in 3D renderers, and thus the usually almost perfect reflections at renderers usually dont correspond to the final , real, product.

[Tom In Chicago]

Originally Posted by Trantor

what exactly is the problem with distorted glass? The only problem I see is that its difficult to get distortions right (and specially one different distortion at each glass pane) in 3D renderers, and thus the usually almost perfect reflections at renderers usually dont correspond to the final , real, product.

Basically it just looks like shit. . . overly warped and distorted glass is distracting to the final design of the product. . . that's really about it. . .

. . .

[Trantor]

Originally Posted by Tom In Chicago

Basically it just looks like shit. . . overly warped and distorted glass is distracting to the final design of the product. . . that's really about it. . .

. . .

I actually like the warped and distorted reflections. At least it diffuses light. If sunlight reflections in warped glass are already a pain in the ass, just imagine sunlight reflections in a perfect glass. Its almost a laser

[Aleks]

there's always solutions for that though. layering, coating, and reflectiveness can reduce glare.

heck, if youre scared of perfect glass then go to vegas and visit the vdara pool deck! that glass aint perfect but it sure is one hell of a laser!

[Trantor]

reflections of clouds usually look better than reflections of other buildings it seems.

but of course, the worst example in this thread was this one... a pure blue sky... quite hard to identify reflection distortions when its only showing blue

[Tom Servo]

7 world trade has really high quality glass...

in chicago 600 n fairbanks has the nicest glass i can think of:


wibiti.com

i can't really find any good pics to do it justice... but it's real sexy in person.

also the contemporaine building has really sexy glass too:



http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/91481177/

[Trantor]

Tom, please, read what the thread creator proposes... its not about sexy glass... its about glass without distorted reflections.


maybe the mods should change the thread title... to BETTER REFLECT what the thread creator proposes (pun intended)

[dchan]

Originally Posted by Trantor

Tom, please, read what the thread creator proposes... its not about sexy glass... its about glass without distorted reflections.


maybe the mods should change the thread title... to BETTER REFLECT what the thread creator proposes (pun intended)

Now say that in an Arnold Schwarzenegger voice.

[Trantor]

Originally Posted by dchan

Now say that in an Arnold Schwarzenegger voice.

that doesnt make sense in correct english?

[Matthew]

Originally Posted by Trantor

what exactly is the problem with distorted glass? The only problem I see is that its difficult to get distortions right (and specially one different distortion at each glass pane) in 3D renderers, and thus the usually almost perfect reflections at renderers usually dont correspond to the final , real, product.

I'd like to "render" a response to that.


The Sunny Winston-Salem (no stars) in 3D

It is possible to have different distortions in each pane. Each pane above has some distortion. Some have more than others. It often requires setting each one of (often) thousands of panes and not taking any shortcuts in making the building model. Each pane is different and no two panes should have the same distortion settings. Can you match it perfectly? No, and if you do, expansion and contraction will likely continue to change the distortion. I like to have the ability to change each pane of glass (as seen above) with more or less distortion. I think that is the main attraction to distortionless glass: Beautiful reflections of the sky and surroundings. That (the reflections) is what we like about glass buildings. I will admit some of the more distorted glass does have an interesting artistic quality to it, so I do like both types of glass (perfect glass and distorted glass).

[Trantor]

it was you who rendered the above image?? Any other images of this city?

[Matthew]

Winston-Salem in 3D

Yes, I made a highly detailed 3D model of the entire downtown area of Winston-Salem, including one storey buildings. It took about seven years to complete. The skyline model is divided into multiple plates and are assembled and rendered (because it is too big to render as one piece). The buildings have floors, elevator cores, walls, etc., and I made an office for myself in one of the buildings. Distorted glass and interior/exterior lights take two or three times longer to render. Yes, I can turn-on and turn-off the lights and turn-off the window distortions.

This building has perfect glass!

Architect Shreve, Lamb and Harmon's award winning former RJR Nabisco Headquarters in Winston-Salem (1928)

Can't really see the glass on this building?

Architect Cesar Pelli's Wachovia Center (1995)

[whiteford]

Originally Posted by Tom Servo

7 world trade has really high quality glass...

in chicago 600 n fairbanks has the nicest glass i can think of:


wibiti.com

i can't really find any good pics to do it justice... but it's real sexy in person.

also the contemporaine building has really sexy glass too:



http://www.flickr.com/photos/archidose/91481177/

photo #1 is sure nice glass.

[Trantor]

^I disagree, look at the distortions at the reflections in the left side of the building.

[whiteford]

angle's are tricky, but i like the color or lack of color.